Birthday Boy One; 

Birthday Boy Two; 

Birthday Boy Three (in no particular order)

And dessert.

And this is a banana split.  No one really wanted a traditional banana split.  

But we approximated them. 

Because ice cream cake and banana splits for birthday dessert in December makes about as much sense as the year Alida asked for a pumpkin pie in July. 

A Birthday!

After getting home from vacation, we dropped the car, picked up the dog and cat, got some milk and prepared for the girls' birthday the next day. 

I'm not going to lie, when Alida showed up wanted to help make her cake, I was relieved. 

We moved and were here 8 months before Covid shut down the world. 

It isn't all bad that they don't have a huge cadre of friends here yet that they are missing now, and one guest for the day was perfectly lovely!

Ben hung the streamers.  It was certainly at the girls height...even if it looked a little like a crime scene.

Happy Birthday Elaine!

(I cannot take credit for that cake, which was beautiful!)

Happy Birthday Alida!

We totally take credit for the soda pop cake with strawberries and cool whip frosting that we call Slawberry cake here.  

And some cute little cupcakes to blow on since we're all being super clean these days. We probably could have moved the cakes some distance away from the blowing while we were at it, but we just get excited sometimes. 

Way Back Last Year

Patric and I took the boys out for a birthday lunch. Where I was advised that I use chopsticks incorrectly.  To which I replied, at least I am trying. 

Most birthdays wind up right here though, in the kitchen.  Where we share a quiet celebration to mark the passing of another year.  That we get smiles, makes my heart warm. 

Second Birthday

In our new year-round school schedule, the kids were out of school for three weeks exactly three weeks after starting school.  It is a bit awkward. We took advantage of the time, to take a girls trip to the beach for a night.  This time the Outer Banks, where you drive over the water quite a bit.  The girls were not fans. 

The beach--fans. 

We stopped here at the end of the day, thinking we'd just wander up to the top.  But you have to get timed tickets and we were a little late. 

So we wandered elsewhere for a bit. The local woman who offered to take this photo for us without being asked also stopped to tell us to have a wonderful time in the Outer Banks and she was tickled by the girls.  We have been away from Southern hospitality for two years too long. 

And the real reason for the trip--hitting the beach on horseback at sunset. 

It turned out to be a beautiful evening, even if I couldn't get a clear picture while I was bouncing around on the horse that the owner said, "You just have to be a little careful because she likes to bite the other horses."  Um, noted.

Cape Hatteras was across the street from our hotel, so we made sure to get up the next morning and get the first tickets to climb. 

And they were very comfortable up there; I may have been clinging to the inside wall while I snapped this photo. 

I was good for about the first five flights but started to become convinced the thing was going to topple over with me in it from floors 6-10.  Outside on the deck up top, forget it. 

Then we had to. 

And we were off. 

After our wild ride, we had to go for pedicures, of course. 

Elaine is experiencing the massaging chair for the first time here.  She was delighted.

But this is the highlight of the show.  

You can't not smile watching this guy. 

The Birthday Celebration

We found a wonderful local bakery that put together an amazing set of celebratory cupcakes for the girls' 12th birthday with about 2 hours notice of our order.  After trying a new local restaurant for a birthday dinner, we destroyed these as well. 

And Nicholas is forever offended by the birthday gifts.  Here he believes Alida just opened Airpods; they were a knock off, and she loved them and Nicholas was quelled. 

And Elaine was very excited for her backpack. 

A very special backpack that she can carry the cat around in.  

Poor thing is a good sport.

Happy Birthday Girls!

Twelve Years Old today!

Way back then, we had no idea how very much we needed you to complete our six pack.

 

 

Today, I cannot even imagine my days without either of you.

We love you!

 

 

Way Back 2017: Happy Birthday Boys

It was into downtown Chicago on the boys' birthday for some puzzle room fun.

 

In a pretty cool old building, where we had to ring someone to come operate the elevator for us.

So we could go up and be locked in a room in that building.

Then we had1 hour to figure out all of the clues to unlock the door and escape.

All while a zombie was chained in the corner but was released a foot further into the room every ten minutes.

We escaped!

The key here--we listened closely to our briefing, and it turns out the zombie can be distracted by show tunes.  The girls set out to distract that zombie from the beginning while we ran after clues.  And by then end, we were pretty much in a puzzle room having fun chatting with a zombie.

 

We hear there is another version of this based off Devil In The White City around here.  On the list for our cold winter activity.

 

(That's not our fifth child; that's our second Ben.  He hangs around a lot and we like him.)

Happy Birthday Benjamin: Steadfast

Ben, at 12 your underlying maturity and sensitivity to people does not surprise me, but it does make me so very proud.  Whether you are joking (but not really) that everyone at church was underdressed or explaining how you helped a friend with something hard that even you didn't know how to do, but you figured it out together, my heart swells.

At 11, you didn't even like this cake, but no one at that table that day would have ever known that because your sisters made it and they were excited, so you were too.

 

At 10, you could disappear and just be with yourself.  I don't know a lot of adults who can do that.

 

From long before 9, your sense of humor has been amazing and makes me laugh constantly.

 

8-Years-Old

You don't ever want to do the family things we make you do.  You are sure to let us know.  But once you know there are no negotiations about participation, you throw yourself into whatever it is.  And I admire this trait, so much.

7-Years-Old

You have always been able to tell a story whether a re-counting of the day's events or something completely made up right there around the campfire with flare and interest and continuity. 

 

6-Years-Old

You love chocolate.  All things chocolate, not white cake with strawberries.  But you smile and enjoy if it is important to the people you love

 

5-Years-Old

Already handsome.

 

4-Years-Old

The year you told me not to worry, you would always be my baby.

(Sometimes I worry that you intend to live with me and let me mother you for all time, but we'll cross that bridge someday.)  More importantly, that day had been hard for me and you nearly made me cry with such kind words from such a small boy.

3-Years-Old

Put Ben to bed and Ben would stay in bed.  Right about this time in our lives, that was unimaginably important.

 

2-Years-Old

I'll forget the tantrums and potty training for today, and maybe I'll choose to believe that there were no terrible twos for you.  If there were, it was certainly a mild case.

 

1-Year-Old

Those eyes, that smile.  How could you be anything but charming?

 

 

Well, we all have our days.

We all have our days.  Not sure you were happy about this one.  But it fits the theme, that transition to the world came with reluctance, but since accepting your life here, you have embraced it.  And we are so lucky you are ours.

Happy Birthday Nicholas! 12 Years of Smiles and Energy

Technically, you couldn't smile yet, so we'll let Year 0 go.

 

1-Year-old

Smiles and energy

2-Years-old

Smiles and energy

But we had less say on what you would wear by this time, clearly.

 

3-Years-Old

Smiles and energy

But making your own food decisions.

 

4-years-old

Smiles and Energy

But you were going through a no-picture phase then, so this is a bit of treasure right here.

 

5-Years-Old

Smiles and energy.

Oh, oh my the energy.

 

6-years-old

Smiles and Energy

And the beginning of those screens.  Here your first Nintendo DS.  You still have it, and you still play on it

7-Years-Old

Smiles and Energy

And discovery.  Oh man, the love of discovery.

 

8-Years-Old

Smiles and Energy

And chocolate cake.  Nothing but chocolate cake from here on out.

 

9-Years-Old

Smiles and Energy

And doing things your own way, for sure.

 

10-Years-Old

Smiles and Energy

And just a hit of a young-man-to be showing through.

 

11-Years-Old

Smiles and Energy

And guns.

12-Years-Old

Smiles and Energy

And man, we love it when we get these out of you these days as you turn more often serious, sometimes outwardly nervous, and nearly always playing it cool these days.